2003

Despair in the Corner

ArchPundit January 3, 2003 No Comments

Via John Cole

At the Corner:

RE: WELCOME TO 2003 [John Derbyshire]
K-Lo: So DC’s first baby of the year was born to a lesbian couple. New York’s seems to have been to a black single mother. Don’t you sometimes feel like giving in to despair?

Now, one can make an argument about the dissolution of the African-American family and how it has hurt poor African-American children especially. In fact, Daniel Moynihan said just such a thing. One can certainly say that raising a child is a difficult process and two parents are better than one. Having been raised in a single family home, I can attest my mother’s life would have been much easier with a partner. The problem is Derbyshire doesn’t make such an argument, he plays off a stereotype and dehumanizes the wonderous event of the birth of a child.

Worse, he seems to think the race of the mother was important without any context to his language. If one is making a Moynihan type argument race becomes a factor. In the way Derbyshire introduces it, well, it isn’t an argument, it is a stereotype. That child deserves the love and hope for the future, not the notion that she is already a burden on the great mind of John Derbyshire.

His comments about the lesbian couple are handled well by John Cole.

If the state is going to kill, why shouldn’t the public know how

ArchPundit January 2, 2003 No Comments

The RiverFront Times covers the secrecy surrounding executions in Missouri. I find such secrecy disturbing because if we are going to kill in the name of the state, shouldn’t the citizens understand exactly what they are doing?

(posted on Blog Saint Louis too).

Take it away Wyoming…

ArchPundit January 2, 2003 No Comments

Matt Hale has moved there and left the State of Illinois a better place leaving.

I wonder if he has some extra space for Gordon Baum and Earl Holt.

Up DATE: Upon further reading, only the, ahem, ‘church’ is going to Wyoming. Hale is staying put.

What I want to know is why in all the biographical information don’t they mention how often Matt got beaten up?

Casmir Pulaski Day largely ignored

ArchPundit January 2, 2003 No Comments

The shame that a sham holiday meant as a killer amendment to Martin Luther King Jr Day isn’t observed by over 500 School Districts in Illinois.

Pyrrhic Victories

ArchPundit January 2, 2003 No Comments

So let’s say you think you are being mistreated by the local paper and want to call it to their attention. You are an important person so you call the public editor and then proceed to give him a lecture about that mistreatment. What happens? You win on the merits and get an agreement that you are correct in print….after a column making fun of you.

Congrats Pat Quinn–your reputation just took another hit. The column is quite interesting in its discussion of a small, but possibly growing movement, to return the Illinois Legislature to having multiple reps from one district.

And an important note to state-wide politicians–don’t make fun of small towns. At least don’t tell it to a reporter who is going to write about it. I don’t find Pinckneyville very interesting either, but I’m not asking for their votes. It’s the Pinckneyville Democrat also, not the Bugle. Good going Pat!

Africa and Terrorism

ArchPundit January 2, 2003 No Comments

Yesterday, the Tribune editorialized on the need to support human rights and democracy in the fight against terrorism.

One of the most unstable continents for the near future will be Africa. Between AIDs, war, dictators, and poverty, the continent faces a series of challenges that will be extremely difficult to overcome. America must take a role or we will end up fighting Al Qaeda II in a country ravaged by instability. The Trib’s money quote is:

America sends its noblest message to the world when it holds its allies accountable for their human rights records and their commitment to honest government and free enterprise. By tying U.S. support to progress in human rights and economic development, America shows itself to be on the right side of history–the side that tries to find new solutions, not more problems.

One of the most troubling Trent Lott incidents was in ’98 when Clinton announced an African AIDs initiative. Lott claimed that there was no real reason for the initiative except to curry favor with African-American voters. I didn’t hear this and during an lower level class I was asked about it by a student. I did something unusual and told the student she must have misunderstood Lott and explained there are a lot of strategic reasons for our efforts to reduce AIDs in Africa. This was unusual because in class I rarely tell students they are wrong about some current event unless it is clear. I just couldn’t imagine anyone could be so stupid and short-sighted as Lott was being and not be named Jesse Helms (who has come around on the issue a bit).

Anyway, turns out I made my student feel bad. Lott really did say it. Once I realized it I blurted out that it had to be one of the stupidest statements I had ever heard and went on to make the argument that instability of the type AIDs could bring to Africa could well lead to the creation of havens for terrorists as we saw in Somalia. Today, I am even more convinced of this argument. Is the administration?

And another one is being cleared

ArchPundit January 2, 2003 No Comments

The Trib covers another inmate who seems to be wrongfully convicted. Taylor’s case was highlighted in the amazing series of reports concerning Cops and Confessions. Taylor was in jail when the murder took place. Despite this evidence he is still in prison, though Dick Devine’s office is looking into the case.

Perhaps Chicago could lower its murder rate if it actually put the people doing the killing in prison and not some schmuck walking down the street.

Does anyone remember one of the last scenes in The Hunt for Red October? Jeffrey Pelt is wrapping up issues with the Russian Ambassador when the ambassador mentions another sub is missing. Pelt replies something like, "Ambassador, you have lost ANOTHER SUBMARINE!" and shakes his head. Pretty much the entire Cook County Attorney’s office has to feel like this every time the Trib calls.

Of course, in DuPage County they just claim they are victims of a press witchhunt.

You Want Gordon Baum, you got Gordom Baum

ArchPundit January 2, 2003 No Comments

Well you will whenever the damn RiverFront Times posts the story on-line. There is a brief profile of Baum by Jim Nesbitt. There isn’t much new, but it is a good backgrounder.

For previous CofCC, Baum, Bugel, and Metro South Citizen’s Council see:

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

Up DATE: The RFT finally has the Baum story posted. Unfortunately the title is more interesting than the content. Mainly rehashed information.

Why isn’t anyone noticing the asbestos story?

ArchPundit January 2, 2003 No Comments

I’m beginning to wonder why the asbestos story hasn’t broken to a larger audience. Sherffius sums up the issue quite well. Why is it bad to keep information from the public?

The Betty Files

ArchPundit January 1, 2003 No Comments

It seems that the dedicated mother, has been spending some time at the slots.

Who says US Attorneys don’t have a sense of humor:

The extent of her gambling "suggests that Loren-Maltese’s quality time commitment to her daughter has been substantially limited by Loren-Maltese’s quality time commitment to casino gambling," the prosecutors’ filing states.